Shipping and filing desk.



No. 688,!04. Patented Dec. 3, 190|. C. LOHRMAN.

SHIPPING AND FILING DESK.

(A lisation led Nov. 10, 1.900.) n n M o d e A 2 s h e e t s s h e e t l.

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c. LuHnMAN.

SHIPPING AND FILING DESK.

(Application led Nov. 10, 1900.) (No llode.) v 2 Sheets-Shut 2.

Y W/TNESSES: /NVENTOH C/zafle Lorman ATTORNEYS fue mams PETERS co, movauwm WASHINGTON, u` c.

rrED Strains PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LOHRMAN, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

SHIPPING AND FILING DESK.

SPEGIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,104, dated December 3, 1901. Application filed November 10, 1900. Serial No.36,039. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES LOHRMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Shipping and Filing Desk, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to that class of desks especially adapted to the wants and conveniences of shipping-clerks and like officials.

The purpose of the invention is to locate within compartments, which may be termed filing-compartments, pliable partitions, so placed that a series of pockets is obtained, and, further, to provide means for classifying the pockets alphabetically and numerically, preferably in sections corresponding to the sections of the cover.

Another feature of the invention consists in applying to each pliable partition a spring member which will permit the partitions to be forced to one side when a letter or memo# randum is to be placed in a pocket and which serves to restore the partitions to their normal positions When the hand is removed from the pocket, the said spring members extending above the tops of the partition, so that letters, numerals, or other characters may be produced thereon or affixed thereto at their upper projecting portions.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth,and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the improved shipping and filing desk. Fig. 2 is a transverse section through a portion of the desk, which section extends entirely through one of the filing-compartments and through the compartment in which the manifolding device is located, illustrating said device in front elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the desk, extending from front to rear thereof, the section being taken through one of the filing-compartments. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken through one of the partitions in a filing-compartment and through 'one of the spring-supports for the partition.

The desk A may be of any type. As shown in the drawings, it is provided with a series of pigeonholes A at the rear; but the desk may be provided with a roll-top, if desired. At each side of the center of the upper or working face of the desk a compartment B is shown, which extends from the front to the rear of the desk, and these compartments B may be termed ming-compartments, as they are adapted to receive receipts, invoices, letters, or the like, which areto be indexed or placed in order for ready selection.

The front of each compartment B is shown as closed by a door l0, connected with the bottom of the compartments by hinges of any approved type, as shown in Fig. 1. Each doorlO is provided with a receptacle 11,-fortned upon or attached to its inner face, and each receptacle 11 may be and preferably is divided into pockets by suitable partitions 12; l

Each compartment B contains a tray 13. This tray extends from side to side of the compartment and from the front to the rear, but does not extend to the top portion of the comparte ment, as shown in Fig. 3. Each tray 13 is open at the front, so that when a door 10 of a compartment B is closed the receptacle 11, carried by that door, will rest upon the bottom of a tray 13 at its front portion, as is shown in positive linesin Fig. 3. Each compartment B is provided with a sectional cover C, and the upper faces of the covers C are flush with the upper face of the top or Working surface of the desk, as is illustrated iu Fig. 1. The covers C comprise front and intermediate sliding sections 14 and a rear lifting section 15, which latter section is connected with the framework of the desk at the rear by suitable hinges 16, as shown in Fig. 3. When a cover C is completely closed over a compartment B, all the sections are in the horizontal position shown in positive lines in Fig. 3 5 but when access is to be gained to any portion of a compartment B the hinged section 15 is carried up to the dotted position shown in Fig. 3 and to the position shown in positive lines in Fig. 1, thus enabling the sliding sections to be moved to and from each other and to and from the hinged section to uncover IOO and enable access to be gained to any desired portion of the compartment, as is shown in Fig. 1. The sliding sections 14 of the covers C have movement upon suitable guides 17, (shown in Fig. 1,) formed longitudinally at the inner upper portions of the compartments.

The tray 13 of each compartment is divided into a series of pockets by a suitable number of transversely-located partitions 18. These partitions 18 do not extend as far as the covers of the compartments and may be made of stiff pasteboard, bristol-board, strawboard, or any suitable material, and in each partition 18 at or near its center an opening 19 is formed, as shown in Fig. 4. In connection with each of the partitions 18 a stifEening device 20 is employed. This stiffening device preferably consists of a strip of spring materialsuch as spring brass or steel, for exa mple-Land the width of the strip is clearly shown in Fig. 2. This strip is of such length that its upper portion will extend beyond the top of the partition 18, to which it is applied, and the said strip is cut from the bottom up to a point near the top to form two body members a (shown particularly in Fig. 2) and a central tongue member 2l., also shown in the same figure and likewise in Fig. 4. The members a of the body are passed through an opening 19 in a partition 18, as shown in Fig. 4, and at the bottom of each member aof the stiening or strengthening device 20 a foot 22 is provided, as is shown particularly in Fig. 4. The tongue 21 ofthe stiening member is passed over the top of the partition 18, to which the member is to be applied and is then carried through the opening 19 in the partition in a contrary direction to the passage of the members a through the same opening, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4. The tongue 21 of each strengthening or stiffening device 20 is provided with a foot 23, which extends in a contrary direction to the foot 22 of the body of the device, as is also shown in Fig. 4. When the partitions 18 are placed in a tray 13, they are usually held in position by strips 24 of Wood or metal, which extend across the feet 22 and 23 of the stiffening or strengthening device, one ystrip being located at each side of a partition, and these strips 24 are secured to the bottom of a tray 13 in any suitable manner.

The partitions 18 in the filing compartments B are arranged in sets or series, each set or series bearing descriptive letters, numerals, or characters 31, which letters, nu-

merals, or characters are preferably produced upon the upper projecting portions of the stiffening devices for the partitions, as is illustrated in Fig. 2, and in each set or series of the partitions 18 the stiffening devices are arranged at different distances from one end of the partitions in the series, soy that all of the letters, numerals, or characters in any' one series may be quickly read when one of the sections 14 of acover C is moved in a direction to uncover said section.

It is evident that any of the series or sections of the partitions 18, contained in either of the tiling-compartments B, may be rendered accessible by shifting the intermediate and forward sections 14 of the cover of the compartment after the hinged section has been elevated.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patente;

1. In a desk or like structure, a compartment, a tray located in said compartment, a series of partitions secured to said tray, form-v ing a series of pockets, and strengthening devices on the said partitions, consisting of strips of spring material which extend beyond the upper portions of the partitions, each of said strips being cut from its bottom upward, forming side body members and an intermediate tongue member, the body and tongue members being passed through the partitions from opposite sides, and means for securing the strengthening devices and partitions to the tray, as described.

2. In a desk or like structure, a compartment and a flexible partition for the same,hav ing an opening between its top and bottom surfaces and a stiening device for the partition,which device is longitudinally separated, forming body members and an intermediate tongue member, which body and tongue members are passed through the said slot in the partition from opposite sides of said partition, and means for securing the partition to a support through the medium of bottom ex! tensions from the members of the stiening device, as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES LOIIRMAN.

Witnesses:

JNO. M. RITTER, J. FRED. ACKER.

IOO 

